Jussie Smollett Is Going To Make His Directorial Debut Despite His Case Still Being Open

octobre 13, 2020

Wanna feel old? The Jussie Smollett mishegoss began almost two years ago. Even more incredibly, we still — still! — don’t have an answer on what happened to the actor on the night of January 29, 2019, when he claimed he was attacked by two bigoted Trump fans. There began untold hairpin turns, still ongoing, perhaps ongoing for the rest of recorded history, even as Smollet has, though thick and thin, maintained his innocence. And yet, even though his name is in no way close to being cleared, he’s moving on with his life. In fact, he’s going to direct a movie.

This comes from Deadline, who say the former Empire actor will make his directorial debut with an adaptation of B-Boy Blues, based on the best-seller by James Earl Hardy, which has been so popular, especially among the African-American community, that it’s spawned a series. The film will go into production very soon, on Oct. 17, in New York City. The plot, as per Deadline:

B-Boy Blues follows the tumultuous relationship between Mitchell Crawford, a 27-year old journalist, and Raheim Rivers, a 21-year old bicycle messenger and B-boy (banjee boy). They meet in a gay bar in Greenwich Village in the summer of 1993. The B-boy hangs out on street corners, cool and menacing. Raheim is the third B-boy in Mitchell’s life, but underneath the former’s tough exterior, Raheim is smart and talented and a loving parent to his five-year-old son. But Raheim has a violent streak.

Deadline also tries to summarize where he’s at now in the ongoing case:

Smollett continues to face numerous legal challenges and cases stemming from the alleged January 2019 “hate crime” attack in Chicago. After a police investigation seemingly revealed all was not as Smollett reported, the matter turned into one of sharp-elbowed civic politics with the Empire star at the center. With charges initially dropped, new indictments, and unsuccessful appeals, the matter has since evolved into numerous lawsuits with a special prosecutor appointed to reevaluate the core case and the conduct of local prosecutors. Following grand jury proceedings earlier this year, Smollett last month filed to have charges against him dropped yet again.

Anyway, we’ll bet you didn’t see this one coming.

(Via Deadline)